A desperate looking guy approached my car as I was pulling into a parking spot at a strip mall. As I was getting out, he asks if I have any engine coolant. He gives me a story about how he his car is overheating because he has a really bad coolant leak and he doesn't have his wallet or phone with him. But he tells the story in such a way that I can tell he is either making it up or doesn't know very much about cars.

I have about 1/3 of a gallon of antifreeze, so I give it to him. He continues to ask if I any money or any way to help him out, he'll pay me back double later, etc. I blow him off, thinking he's just trying to scam me.

"Sorry for asking" he replies.

I proceed to walk towards the burger joint. About halfway there, starting to feel bad, I turn back to him and mention that he can fill the radiator with water and limp home without hurting anything. "Yeah, ok" he says. I can tell he's no longer interested in what I have to say. So I go inside and to watch as he hits up a few other people in the parking lot. Most don't even acknowledge him. Finally, I sit down and try to forget about it.

A half hour later I go back to my car, noting the guy and his car beside mine is gone. There's a big puddle of antifreeze near where the front of the car was parked. Well, I'll be damned, the guy really did need some help. He may have gotten about half of what i gave him into the radiator.

I'm ashamed that I didn't do more to help this guy out. I would like to think that I would have gone into the grocery store and bought him a gallon of coolant or walked over to the ATM and pulled out 20 bucks or something. But instead, I immediately assumed he was trying to rip me off and turned my back on a fellow human being in need, 3 days before Christmas. I'm such an asshole.


***
For the tl;dr crowd: I'm angry at myself because I refused to help to a guy that was having car trouble.

[Edited on December 22, 2009 at 9:37 PM. Reason : .]

12/22/2009 9:35:27 PM

I hate people like this

never trust anyone

and apparently I missed the next to last paragraph

but still

12/22/2009 9:36:23 PM

hey if it weren't for all the jerks lying about needing antifreeze, we'd all be more trusting to help our fellow man

[Edited on December 22, 2009 at 9:37 PM. Reason : when in doubt, blame the poor and desperate]

12/22/2009 9:36:52 PM

who seriously leaves their house without their wallet or cell phone? he probably was scamming you.

12/22/2009 9:38:11 PM

he didn't meet the typical parking lot scammer profile. he was clean cut, well spoken, etc.

12/22/2009 9:40:28 PM

Quote :

"he doesn't have his wallet or phone with him."

guess that means he doesn't have his license on him. i wouldn't help him, he's driving illegally.

12/22/2009 9:40:28 PM

^^^it happens...i know i've done it before going to work and went home for lunch to get it. Luckily I wasn't in a situation where I needed either immediately.

[Edited on December 22, 2009 at 9:42 PM. Reason : ^^]

12/22/2009 9:42:22 PM

You'll be okay dude. The fact that you're having a pang of conscience means you're really human after all. Maybe next time you'll make a different decision.

12/22/2009 9:43:29 PM

it sucks cause the fucking bastards that just want to get drunk or high fuck it up for everyone who is in need. i think you did okay. what did he need money for.

he had a jug to put water in to limp home if he used all the coolant.

he also should thank you for any type of help you gave him. to be honest I think you will sleep okay tonight knowing that you did what you did.

12/22/2009 9:47:18 PM

Don't feel bad. He asked for engine coolant and you gave it to him. And then he kept hitting you up for money and he blew you off when you tried to be helpful. Why didn't he ask to use your phone to call someone he knew?

Fuck that asshole.

12/22/2009 9:49:53 PM

yeah, i don't know. i've been there, its a bad feeling to be stuck like that and no one will help you.

12/22/2009 9:55:38 PM

hell yeah it is but its a awesome when someone stops, or takes time out of their schedual to do something.

its the thought that counts

12/22/2009 9:59:29 PM

thanks, mang.

12/22/2009 10:01:19 PM

i've been without my license and debit card before

but had my wallet and phone! sometimes i take them out when i go out and give them to my bf to hold. so if he wasn't scamming you, i feel his pain.

12/22/2009 10:01:48 PM

sounds like you helped him out. he needed antifreeze and you gave it to him.... end of story

12/22/2009 10:25:19 PM

Fuck you too asshole.

I had a fucked hose and your ass wouldn't even listen.

You fucked yourself out of an easy 50.

12/22/2009 10:26:28 PM

12/22/2009 10:27:39 PM

hahahah


I had the no liscense, while driving come up before. I told him to pull my information up and look me up, and if he wanted to give me a ticket, i'd be happy to get it thrown out by the DA, along w/ the court costs. He took me up on it. It was gone the next day. I wave at him when I see him. (local small town cop (haha))

12/22/2009 10:30:41 PM

should this thread be bumped? http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=533062

12/22/2009 10:36:39 PM

you told him that he would've been fine just putting water in there. piss on him.

12/22/2009 10:47:15 PM

is antifreeze a common accessory for cars? maybe i should throw some in my trunk, jic

12/22/2009 10:55:01 PM

no, because under most conditions you can get by with water at least long enough to get to a store that will have some

with that said, i keep a jug of 50/50 mix in the toolbox on my truck

12/22/2009 10:58:37 PM

you played it perfectly. be too nice and youll end up dead.

12/22/2009 11:02:25 PM

Maybe he poured out the antifreeze right near his car to make you feel guilty

12/22/2009 11:10:37 PM

Quote :

"is antifreeze a common accessory for cars? maybe i should throw some in my trunk, jic"

i try to keep at least keep a jug of water on hand, i just happened to have some on hand from the last time i topped it off.



whatever, i think i'm over it now.

[Edited on December 22, 2009 at 11:14 PM. Reason : .]

12/22/2009 11:13:41 PM

fucking shady crap

no wallet/phone?

if that's his pitch, i am going to ask for collateral before i help. i have never not had my wallet, ID, phone, and/or money with me at any time. Just one of those will suffice to alleviate the jam.

did he ask "are you afraid of black people?"

or "i don't usually ask"

12/22/2009 11:37:10 PM

The guy asking for antifreeze wasn't Flying Tiger was it? He had that issue for a while!

12/22/2009 11:38:47 PM

12/22/2009 11:39:00 PM

^^^purposely left this out, but it was a white guy.

12/22/2009 11:42:10 PM

sorry, i am afraid of blacks asking for money.

12 percent of the population, but 90 percent of those asking for money. I am not saying they are all out to get you, but if I was playing roulette, I'd stick with red.

12/22/2009 11:43:40 PM

Some dude hit me up at the liquor store on Avent Ferry/Western wanting money so he and his wife could get home to their kids the other day. It's amazing how someone outside of the liquor store always needs money for a noble cause. I have no idea if this guy was legitimate, but it sucks that there might be someone who legitimately needs help and these fucking liars fuck it up for them.

On the coolant thing...Dude can always put some water in it to get home. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It was good that you gave him what you had.

12/22/2009 11:45:00 PM

lots of people live in greensboro or durham and need to get home.

gots to help the darkies

12/22/2009 11:49:51 PM

Attn: College students

"I don't have any cash on me."
and
"I use my debit card for everything and it's almost out."
are your friends.

12/22/2009 11:57:53 PM

So is "No"

12/22/2009 11:59:49 PM

^^ I prefer "I have nothing for you."

12/23/2009 12:03:56 AM

he should have been satisfied with water

12/23/2009 12:08:51 AM

If this happened at a strip mall, as you say it did, then why the fuck didn't he go inside and ask to use their telephone? I HIGHLY doubt he got turned away by every single fucking strip mall!

12/23/2009 12:13:02 AM

Quote :

"12 percent of the population, but 90 percent of those asking for money"

I don’t know where you live, but on HLB and on the on ramp to Glenwood, those hobos are always white.

maybe your prejudiced brain just remembers the black people more…?

12/23/2009 12:19:01 AM

i once got stranded without gas in east village parking lot.
my phone was dead.

i went inside to ask them if i could use their phone and they wouldnt let me.
none of the employees let me use their cell phone.
and it was an awkward time of the day so there were hardly any customers and none of them had one (or so they said).

i had to walk to the smoker friendly (is that the name of it?) with tears in my eyes. (yeah im a big baby)
luckily one of the people there gave me a ride back to my car.

just my single, little experience.


and Chop you were fine!
you actually did do something.
don't worry about it!

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 12:56 AM. Reason : sdfgsdf]

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 12:57 AM. Reason : the more i look back on it..i should have just walked to UT or something.used the phone at col. bev ]

12/23/2009 12:55:51 AM

i always feel bad when i turn people away looking for help

here is the deal, when im alone, my safety is #1 and most of the time i'm not going to risk my personal safety to help someone who might need help. i'm way more likely to mention stopping to help or encourage a helping hand when i'm with a male.

i dont think that 100% of the time someone is looking to hurt me, but fuck if im going to take a chance, especially if their situation isn't that dire

and for the record, a dude was under some womans car at the mall within walking distance of my house a few weeks ago. i thought that was urban legend type shit. so im extra on edge. but i do what i can when i can. i give homeless people food when i have it in my car and i've been known to pull over and give someone the umbrella from my car if they're getting soaked in the rain. im more comfortable offering help in a way that isn't cash

12/23/2009 1:05:55 AM

I usually always give people who ask for money at least something. It has to be a fucking ego blow to go up to strangers and just ask for money.

Most of them have it rough as shit whether its their own fault, or something out of their control.

I would much rather give money to ten people who don't need it, than to not give it to someone who does.

$5 doesn't seem like a lot. But to someone who is homeless and in need, its a fucking jackpot.

12/23/2009 1:07:39 AM

Quote :

"a dude was under some womans car at the mall within walking distance of my house a few weeks ago. i thought that was urban legend type shit."

holy crap really?!?!?!

^yeah. i sorta have that mentality.

12/23/2009 1:09:13 AM

Its all the lying peoples fault. This old guy in fairly normal clothes came up to me outside a grocery store and said there was a clinic being held for uninsured people with diabetes, he even had a pamphlet for it and it was that week, he said he could really use the help but didn't have a way to get there. It seemed like a completely plausible story, and it was on my way, so I decided to help him, then the fucker tried to get me to take him to the liquor store and give him money.

12/23/2009 1:14:44 AM

^^^^ The guy was under the car?

Sounds more dangerous for him than the woman.

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 1:15 AM. Reason : ]

12/23/2009 1:15:02 AM

12/23/2009 1:16:58 AM

I have a friend that if a bum comes up to his car asking for change he will flash his hunting knife

12/23/2009 1:19:54 AM

^ a buddy of mine will throw pennies doing like 30mph through a intersection. i hate hobos who beg for money. they need to get a fucking job.

12/23/2009 1:24:08 AM

yes, under her car.

here is the link

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7139705

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 1:28 AM. Reason : quicker]

12/23/2009 1:26:56 AM

great, now their going to put remote controlled spikes that jab out of the bottom of SUVs and call it a safety feature.

12/23/2009 1:28:24 AM

lol kinda like how airbags are. i goti nto a wreck about 3 years ago. a guy crossed the center line and hit me head on doing about 45- 50 mph. my seat belt saved my life, but i broke both of my knees when they hit the dashboard, and most of my internal injurys were caused from the air bags coming out at warp speed.

12/23/2009 1:34:04 AM